
India-UK FTA will propel bilateral trade, strengthen supply chains: Jaishankar during meeting with UK Foreign Secretary
ANI
07 Jun 2025, 18:10 GMT+10
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): Noting that the recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA and the Double Contribution Convention is truly a milestone, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday it will propel two-way trade and investment and contribute to the strengthening of supply and value chains.'
In his remarks during a meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Jaishankar said India practices a policy of zero-tolerance against terrorism and expects its partners to understand this.
'I am pleased to welcome you back to India. We just had a very good meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and I think your visit at this time gives us an occasion to assess our comprehensive strategic partnership, which I believe has strengthened across all sectors in recent times,' he said.
'The recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA (Free Trade Agreement) and the Double Contribution Convention is truly a milestone. It will not only propel our two-way trade and investment but will also have a positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties. It would also contribute to the strengthening of supply and value chains,' he added.
Jaishankar said India will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims. 'I thank the Government of the United Kingdom for the strong condemnation of the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and for your solidarity and support to India in the fight against terrorism,' he said.
The minister said that the UK-India infrastructure financial bridge can unlock quality long-term capital flows from the United Kingdom to India.
'There's very good collaboration in the education sector with many more universities. I believe planning to establish their campuses in India,' he said.
Jaishankar said that people-to-people ties are getting stronger. (ANI)
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‘Perpetrators of evil…' Jaishankar reiterates zero tolerance for terrorism in talks with UK's David Lammy
India will never countenance 'perpetrators of evil' being put on par with its victims and expects partners to understand its policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during extensive talks with his British counterpart David Lammy. read more India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasised on Saturday that India will never accept equating terrorists with their victims and expects international partners to respect its strict 'zero tolerance' stance on terrorism. His comments came amid concerns in New Delhi about some countries linking India and Pakistan following recent clashes between the two neighbors. Glad to meet UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today in Delhi. Appreciate UK's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack on Pahalgam and support in combatting terrorism. Our conversation focused on the significant strides being made by the 🇮🇳 🇬🇧 Comprehensive Strategic… — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 7, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After arriving in Delhi, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who welcomed the UK's support in India's efforts to combat cross-border terrorism. Following the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the British foreign secretary strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack while Modi underscored the need for a decisive international action against terrorism and those who support it. 'Appreciate his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthened by the recently concluded FTA. Value UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism,' the prime minister said in a social media post. 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The UK was among countries which were in touch with both India and Pakistan in an attempt to de-escalate their tensions during their military conflict from May 7-10. Lammy paid a two-day visit to Islamabad from May 16 during which he welcomed the May 10 understanding between India and Pakistan to stop the military actions. After the meeting, the British foreign secretary said: 'We are advancing a new era in UK-India relations — boosting trade and technology, tackling the climate crisis and providing greater security for our people.' In his remarks, Jaishankar described the recent conclusion of the India-UK free trade agreement and the double contribution convention as 'truly a milestone which will not only propel our two-way trade and investment but will also have a positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties'. 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Addressing migration remains a top priority for the government and Lammy is focused on working internationally with global partners to secure the UK's borders at home, the British readout said. 'India was one of my first visits as foreign secretary, and since then has been a key partner in the delivery of our 'Plan for Change'. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength — securing our future technologies, adding over 25 billion pounds in trade every year between our countries and deepening the strong links between our cultures and people,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lammy said the signing of the free trade agreement with India is just the start of the ambitions for the two countries. 'We're building a modern partnership with India for a new global era. We want to go even further to foster an even closer relationship and cooperate when it comes to delivering growth, fostering innovative technology, tackling the climate crisis and delivering our migration priorities, and providing greater security for our people,' he was quoted in the readout. The British foreign secretary was also scheduled to meet leading figures in Indian business to discuss how both sides can unlock greater investment by Indian business in the UK. In 2023-24, India was the UK's second largest source of investments in terms of number of projects for the fifth consecutive year. In his remarks, Jaishankar listed various initiatives which were rolled out recently to bolster the ties. 'Since your last visit to India, there have been significant initiatives which both of us have taken and those initiatives have progressed well.' Jaishankar singled out the Technology Security Initiative (TSI) and said it will enable deeper collaboration in strategic technology sectors of AI, semiconductors, telecom, quantum, health-tech, bio-tech, critical minerals and advanced materials. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We have also launched the strategic exports and technology cooperation dialogue, the first meeting of which was held, I believe, this week. 'This will enhance among others the TSI's effectiveness in promoting trade in critical and emerging technologies, including the resolution of relevant licensing or regulatory issues,' he said. Jaishankar also pointed to the UK-India infrastructure financial bridge and said it can unlock quality long-term capital flows from the United Kingdom to India, and that would surely contribute to our infrastructure development. 'There is very good collaboration in the education sector with many more universities, I believe, planning to establish their campuses in India, and on the people-to-people ties front, we had the privilege — I myself had the honour – to open two new consulates in Manchester and Belfast,' he said. The overall focus of the talks was to further deepen and diversify the India-UK partnership. With inputs from agencies

Hindustan Times
an hour ago
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India.com
an hour ago
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